Tips for no-gi

Ok, so I've only done alittle over a month of gi BJJ. I'm getting together to roll with a friend on monday who used to wrestle in high school for a couple years (he wasn't that good, but he is at least familiar with the ground). I want to sort of test where I'm at; just good clean fun and learning. Anyway, since I've only done gi grappling, it would be great to hear a few tips on grappling no-gi that might help me out. Besides the obvious lack of particular grips and chokes, what else is hugely different about it? What grips can be substituted for gi grips like the lapel or belt?

And no, I can't ask my instructor (though I think he has some no-gi experience) because I just talked to my friend today about doing this, and my BJJ class won't be until monday evening.

No gi has a whole different set of sweeps and grips, and attacks. To give you tips wont do you any good unless you have put the time in and can actually do it. But my advice is to use a lot of overhooks and underhooks and control the guy by his neck alot.

I like to reach across their back and hook under their arm pit then pull with your hook and push with your other side on their opposite shoulder. This twists their top, add in your hooks, and you have their back. This kind of back taking works from all sorts of positions.

A substitute for the lapel grip would be either a hook behind the back of the neck, or grabbing their shoulder and leveraging your forearm into the front of the neck.

Instead of the belt, you can grab shorts, or hook the crotch (yeowtch). Wrist holds and locks could be a “lower percentage” version of cuff grips.

Of course: overhooks, underhooks, and arm-drags

Finally, anything involving clasping your hands together. With their neck it could be a neck crank. Underneath their arm pit it could be a setup for an arm lock. Body locks are great for creating pressure for takedowns, guard passes, or position holds. Legs for takedowns and leg locks.

Well, he's a wrestler and you got one month, plan to be on your back ;)

Anyways, no gi moves faster, your escapes might be a little easier, but holding someone in place is harder. This means you got to kep moving, so instead of trying to lock down one position you're more likely to be transitioning back and forth between a few depending on how he is trying to escape.

Now, if all he has done is wrestle he is likely to instinctively fight hard to stay off his back, so if you manage to sweep him or put him on his back be ready for him to give his back too you.

No-gi means no handles... obviously... so you need to keep tight overhooks and underhooks to control him. Bad news is he will likely be more used to this then you and be able to get out quickly.

Now another common thing I have found, wrestlers often drive forward hard in guard, but aren't really sure what to do there. From guard I would reccomend looking at triangles or flower sweeps as good bets.

Oh, and expect to get cradled and headlocked ;)

Now all that said, don't play to win, play to learn. Instead of focusing on your guard, which is where you will probably end up, try to spend more time working takedowns and scrambling. You'll loose more, but learn more ;)

If you're trying to control a certain limb, it's best to control a major joint on that limb. When setting up an armbar from the guard, it's easier to control the arm by grabbing the wrist or elbow as opposed to the forearm or bicep.

And as everyone has mentioned, underhook overhook and control the head while in guard.